Who is the dog in the

Poised for Success Logo?

The image used to create silhouette logo for Poised for Success is an actual photo of my first Freestyle partner, Speedy.

Speedy was one of those once-in-a-lifetime dogs whose influence and inspiration have continued well beyond the span of his lifetime.

I took my very first dog training class with Speedy in hopes that I could learn how to teach him how to sit and give paw!  I ended up learning so much more.  Working with Speedy made me fall in love with training dogs and, eventually, with participation in dog sports.

However, Speedy and I did not have an easy road.  He started out as a shy puppy, but that shyness soon transformed into reactivity toward both people and dogs.  Speedy was fearful, reactive, and prone to overstimulation.  I was brand new to dog training, and when we began together, I knew nothing about the basics of training, much less how to help a dog like Speedy.

And yet, there was something special about him that compelled me not to give up on him, but to do literally everything I could to learn how to help him.

What followed was an amazing ride with many ups and downs, and among the best fruits of our intense lifetime of work together was our participation in Canine Musical Freestyle.

Speedy loved to move to music, and would beat his front paws in time as he moved along.

And people loved to watch him.  There was something about his intensity, his artistry, and ..... just him .... to which audiences responded with enthusiasm.

Following is one of his signature Freestyle routines:

"Waltz from Maskarade"

Practice Version

I created Poised for Success in honor of Speedy, and many of the options in the Freestyle titling program are based on training and practice exercises that he and I developed together.

Every time a title is earned through Poised for Success Freestyle I am grateful to this amazing dog, who started it all!